Gantz: We Need to be Prepared for a Multi-Front War

IDF Chief of Staff stresses that there are no guarantees that Israel will always have intelligence to allow it to thwart terror attacks.

By Elad Benari

First Publish: 8/10/2012, 5:43 AM

Gantz surveys bombed terrorists' APC

Israel news photo: Flash 90

IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz warned on Thursday that despite the IDF and the Shin Bet’s ability to foil this week’s terror attack near the border with Egypt, there are no guarantees that Israel would have similar intelligence that will allow it to thwart similar attacks in the future.

Speaking during a ceremony marking Reservists Appreciation Day, Gantz said that the current turmoil in the region is forcing the IDF to prepare for a multi-front attack.

“The recent attempts to hurt Israelis were foiled thanks to the high efficiency of our forces and thanks to precise intelligence,” he said, adding, “We will not always have the early warning so we must be prepared for any scenario.”

He noted that Israel and the IDF are closely monitoring the changes taking place in Syria and Egypt, adding that Israel must be prepared for the possibility of conflict in the region.

“Recent events require the IDF to prepare for every scenario - even a multi-front confrontation,” he stressed.

Gantz’s comments came as the Israeli Cabinet voted to approve an Egyptian request to send in helicopters to the Sinai Peninsula.

The approval was given for a period of several days and allows five aircraft to enter the region. The move is designed to assist Egypt in its military operation against terrorist elements in the Sinai.

Gantz also took the opportunity to praise the resilience of the reserve soldiers and their willingness to serve.

“This event in which we say thank you to the reservists is no less important than any operational exercise,” Gantz said, adding that service in the reserves is “a primary expression of social commitment and personal responsibility to the State.”

Statistics published on Wednesday, a day before Reservists Appreciation Day, showed that Israeli residents of Judea and Samaria (Yehuda and Shomron) are the most active reservists in Israel.

The statistics found that while only five percent of the soldiers who are eligible for reserve duty actually perform reserve duty, the area from which most reservists come is Judea and Samaria, where 34 percent of those serving in the reserves live.